FOREWORD—What this
report is about
This Report deals with the Commission's proposal
to establish the European Institute of Technology (EIT) as a way
of addressing the perceived weakness of the EU in introducing
commercially successful technological innovation in both manufacturing
and services.
It sets out our ideas of a concept for the EIT, differing
from that of the Commission's, which we believe could have been
more effective in facilitating successful, locally led collaboration
on technological innovation between business and universities.
The Report explains that, while we regret that this
approach was not taken in drawing up the text of the proposed
Regulation, we accept the reality that the final Regulation is
likely to be along the lines of that on which the German Presidency
secured a "general approach" at the Competitiveness
Council meeting held on 25 June 2007. The Report goes on, therefore,
to set out our comments and recommendations about the latest proposal
and to make available the relevant evidence we have received about
it.
One of our recommendations is that the EIT's Governing
Board should include an appropriate representation of members
with business experience so that it can ensure that the EIT's
strategy is to focus on technological developments which are commercially
viable, as well as innovative.
| 
